How to test if boat is water logged

[JoshOnt]

I recently bought a boat for pretty cheap so if it is waterlogged it then become a good project. I am not sure how to test if it is or not. I am thinking drill a hole just off center in the floor and see if water comes up. Then fill the hole in with resin. Would this work or is there a better way?

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... What sorta boat,..?? How big a boat,..??

 

[Yacht Dr.]

You could weigh the trailer..then weigh the trailer with the boat on it..subtract the trailer weight which will give you the boat weight. Subtract how much fuel is in there and there is your dry weight of the boat. Find some documentation on how much that bad boy should be at..divide the difference by 8 and thats about how much water is living in it.

 

[tpenfield]

Weighing is certainly an option, so long as you have a good guesstimate of the dry weight of the boat, etc. as far as drilling a hole. . . Not in the deck. Drill into the transom (from the inside of the boat) and the main bulkhead at a low point, preferably near the keel. That is wehre the water will be.

 

[Woodonglass]

If you're wanting to check for water logged foam then weighing the boat as YD described is the most commonly used method as long as you can pre-determine the dry weight of the boat when she came from the factory. Your option of drilling through the floor can also be done, and has been done by others. The best method is to use a 2" hole saw to remove the plywood and then fashion a foam cutting plug core sample saw from PVC pipe. Cut some Teeth in one end of the pipe and then drill a hole in the other end so you can stick a long screw driver thru the pipe and then start srewing and sawing the pipe down into the foam until you hit bottom. Remove the pipe and peer down into the hole and see what you can see. If there's water, more than likely it'll be at the bottom. Waterlogged foam can add up to 5-600lbs of weight to your boat and you can't dry it out, you must remove and replace. If its dry, remove the core from the pipe, stick it back in the hole, use some thickened resin to glue the plywood back into the deck and you're good to go.

 

[JoshOnt]

Thanks all, I would do the weighing it option but I can't seem to find any information on the boat. It is a thundercraft V142 no clue of the year or weight of it. So I think I will go with Woodonglass's method. Hope it is not water logged much less work ahead if it is dry.

 

[Arawak]

I knew mine was waterlogged when I pulled the transducer off the transom and the holes peed water for a week.

Depending on the condtion of the hull (do you already need to do any repairs?) and you comfort level repairing it, a small hole drillled at the lowest part of the transom where there is foam will answer your question.....

 

[JoshOnt]

I knew mine was waterlogged when I pulled the transducer off the transom and the holes peed water for a week.

Depending on the condtion of the hull (do you already need to do any repairs?) and you comfort level repairing it, a small hole drillled at the lowest part of the transom where there is foam will answer your question.....

I know it needs a bit of resin on the keel but that is due to me moving it the wrong way on the trailer... I am okay with repairs but really don't like them. I am a computer guy and not very mechanically inclined.